Chapter 500: Bury Everything Deep in the Heart
Even after having the spirit power–sealing cuffs removed, her spirit tools returned, and walking out of the gates of the Secret Intelligence Division, Meng Yun was still in a state of joy mixed with confusion.
Because the two agents had communicated via spirit power transmission, she still had no idea why she had been released so inexplicably.
But no matter what, the fact that she wouldn't be tortured by the Secret Intelligence Division made her feel as though she had narrowly escaped death.
Wait…
After taking a few steps, Meng Yun suddenly frowned as something came back to her.
Back in the Secret Intelligence Division, it seemed she had heard something…
The boss is in danger!
Her eyes widened as she snapped out of her tangled thoughts.
Just because she knew the boss, they had arrested her for questioning—and everything she had done since entering Han Shi had been under the Secret Intelligence Division's surveillance…
The division had already set its sights on Han Shi!
No, she had to inform the boss as soon as possible.
With that thought, Meng Yun quickened her pace, heading toward Han Shi.
But after only a few steps, her movements abruptly froze midair. The surrounding air seemed to solidify, trapping her body as if in a swamp, unable to move even the slightest bit.
This is…
Meng Yun's pupils shrank slightly as a voice suddenly appeared by her ear.
"Little girl, I didn't go through all that trouble to save you just so you could tip that boy off."
"Who's there?" Meng Yun found she could move her head and nervously looked around, but saw no one. "Senior… was it you who saved me?"
"That's right. As a trade, how about you bury everything you saw and heard in the Secret Intelligence Division deep in your heart—forever?" The voice carried little hostility. Instead, Meng Yun vaguely felt a sense of reassurance within it, and her earlier panic gradually calmed.
"But if I do that, the boss…" Meng Yun bit her lip. She couldn't just stay silent and watch Qi Han fall into danger.
"Don't worry. I guarantee that boy won't get into trouble so easily." The voice spoke again, now with a faint hint of amusement. "So for now, go back to the academy. Keep everything from today buried in your heart, and never tell anyone."
"…" Meng Yun's expression shifted uncertainly. This unseen expert must be incredibly powerful—otherwise, he couldn't have immobilized her without even appearing.
Any attempt at tricks on her part would likely be useless.
And if, as he said, it was indeed his intervention that saved her from the Secret Intelligence Division, then she owed him this favor…
"Are you sure the boss will be fine?"
"Do you not trust me, little girl?"
"I…" Meng Yun bit her lip again, then finally nodded with great hesitation. "Alright… I'll return to the academy now."
The frozen air instantly returned to normal. Meng Yun stood in silence for a moment before turning and heading back toward the academy.
Only after her figure had completely disappeared did De Hongchen slowly step out from the shadows, a sly smile on his face.
"Good thing I arrived in time. If that girl had told everything to little Boss Qi and scared him into running away, where would I go to eat such delicious food…"
"And besides, it's not yet time for Han Shi to leave…"
"Because of Han Shi, the Xu family has secretly adjusted personnel and deployments within the military… which conveniently gives me an opening. Heh, little Boss Qi really is my lucky star."
…
"Your Majesty, the Imperial Teacher has come?"
Having just received the news and been summoned by the emperor, Zhou Yuan hurried into the council hall. Seeing Xu Haolong sitting on the dragon throne in a daze, a trace of helplessness appeared in his eyes.
How foolish!
To just release Meng Yun like that—he had heard that not only had the Secret Intelligence Division failed to extract any useful information, but they had even let her learn quite a bit about their arrangements targeting Qi Han during the interrogation.
If she told Qi Han, wouldn't all their previous plans be wasted?
Xu Haolong raised his head and looked at the anxious Zhou Yuan, understanding his concerns, and smiled reassuringly. "No need to worry. Although the Imperial Teacher demanded her release, he personally guaranteed that Meng Yun would not reveal a single detail of what happened today."
Hearing this, Zhou Yuan finally let out a slight sigh of relief.
Although the Imperial Teacher had a very eccentric temperament—moody, unpredictable, and extremely protective—there was one thing that was unquestionably reliable: he always kept his word. Since he had made such a guarantee, he would definitely uphold it.
As for what measures the Imperial Teacher would take, that was not something they needed to worry about. After all, he was still the dean of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy—he should have his own methods.
Looking at it this way, although they hadn't discovered anything new through Meng Yun, this operation hadn't resulted in much loss either…
"Ah…" Zhou Yuan sighed softly and said helplessly, "In that case, it seems we'll have to find other ways to probe Han Shi."
"The Secret Intelligence Division has already monitored Han Shi for ten days," Xu Haolong paused. "You ministers as well—have any of you noticed anything unusual during these ten days?"
"No… ah, actually—there is something." Zhou Yuan shook his head, then his expression turned slightly strange. "Though I'm not sure if it counts as an issue."
"Qi Han has been running the restaurant for ten days, yet he has never purchased any ingredients. Where do the ingredients for his dishes come from?"
"That's not necessarily a problem." Xu Haolong frowned slightly in thought, then shook his head. "As long as he has a storage-type spirit tool, carrying a large quantity of ingredients isn't difficult."
"Then there are no other suspicious points." Zhou Yuan gave a bitter smile. "During these ten days, this Boss Qi Han has been diligently running his restaurant. If not for his questionable background, I would almost believe he truly came to Mingdu City just to open a shop."
"Enough." Xu Haolong shook his head. "This can't go on. The Secret Intelligence Division will continue monitoring as before, but all other probing efforts will cease. There are only a few months left before the Douluo Continent discovers the Sun Moon Continent. We've already spent too much energy on Han Shi—we should focus that effort on more important matters."
"Yes!" Zhou Yuan nodded in agreement.
In fact, he had been dining at Han Shi every day lately, to the point that he had almost forgotten his original purpose of going there was to monitor Qi Han. As for Boss Qi Han—according to earlier speculation, he should already be aware of the ministers' identities. Yet he still greeted everyone warmly with the same friendly smile every day, making it impossible for Zhou Yuan to read his intentions.
Forget it. As long as they assigned some personnel to keep an eye on him and ensured that Han Shi did not leave the Sun Moon Continent in the coming months, that would be enough. All other plans would be suspended.
…
"Phew!"
Stepping out of the training space, Qi Han lifted his head and immediately saw the graceful figure standing quietly at the entrance in her work uniform. A smile couldn't help but appear on his face.
Good, starting today, things would finally become a bit easier for him.
Walking to the door and opening it slightly, Qi Han smiled at Meng Yun. "Come in."
"Mm…" Meng Yun stepped into Han Shi, her face still carrying a trace of guilt.
Someone wants to harm the boss, yet she can't tell him…
Qi Han didn't notice anything unusual about her expression. After closing the door, he looked at the girl with a smile.
"So, what would you like for your staff meal tonight?"
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Tn: I updated the story once every 2 days, but if you want to see more chapter of this story ahead of time, please go to my Patreon.
Latest Chapter: Chapter 538: Walking Straight into the Trap?[1]
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[1] https://www.patreon.com/Avicebron/posts/becoming-food-in-160492301
[2] https://www.patreon.com/Avicebron/posts/becoming-food-in-160492301